FUSE and The Art of Collaboration

Collaboration, connection, togetherness… This is so much of what we are building at Propeller Dance while making great art (hopefully! You be the judge).

Humans are social creatures; we all desire warmth, physical touch, intimacy, and that most primal of desires, love - to be loved and to love. More need than desire, shared by each and every one of us, without which we shrivel. In these cold and dark winter months, our most recent show FUSE, and specifically our company piece I Need You? takes you on a journey of love, togetherness, and connection. Your presence, whether remotely or in flesh at a live show, means that you are collaborating with us, you are together with us, you are connected, you are plugged in and turned on.

Propeller is a community of movers, shaking and rolling in our Canadian contemporary dance diaspora, our newest works highlight the nature of collaboration and the interdependence that we all share. We have a strong legacy of collaboration, and while this is not unique to the artistic process, or to the lived human experience, the uniqueness we share comes from the depth of the collaborative creative experience in our newest trio of works-in-progress — I write ‘in-progress’, as for me a dance work is rarely, if ever finished, and if kept in the repertoire, is always an evolving entity.

These new dance works are true collaborations between all of the artists involved. I am proud to shout this from the rooftops – collaborating isn’t easy! It takes more time, it takes more trust; it takes a great leap of faith into the unknown. It is also the choice of Co-Artistic Directors to showcase this aspect of our working model. In the piece I Need You? the dancers have shared their essence through their movement and ideas, and composer and musician Jesse Stewart shares his incredible creative spirit and energy through his soundscapes in this true collaboration of sound and movement.  

Hope to see you at the shows – February 12^th and 13^th at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa.

Renata Soutter is co-founder and co-artistic director of Propeller Dance. For well over a decade she has dedicated her professional career to dance, and specifically to dance innovation through creation, performance, community outreach and education. With a strong belief in the power of movement for all, she contributes to a growing inclusive open-hearted contemporary dance community.